Shiawase Ondo

The song Shiawase Ondo was written by Nen Daiko member Greg Nakamura in summer-fall 2003. The word "shiawase" means happiness in Japanese.

This piece was written to celebrate the wedding of Tracy Kondo and Terrence Higuchi on October 18th, 2003, where it received its debut performance.

It explores the idea of taiko as an accompaniment to a melody played on fue (flute), strongly inspired by conversations with taiko artist, Kenny Endo.

Based primarily on a festive pentatonic melody played by dual fues, this up-tempo work features lively chu-daiko choreography as well as other improvisational elements.

Playing fue - photo by Mike Gallan, Obon 2016

The base beat or "ji" of the song is the same as Matsuri, a festival song familiar to taiko players worldwide. Greg was motivated to compose Shiawase as a way to get Nen Daiko players to experiment more with their Matsuri solos, to try bigger and more flowing movements.

The key to playing Shiawase Ondo is -- smile! Also, the choreography benefits from a "lighter touch," a more sprightly movement than some other songs in Nen Daiko's repertoire.